Mattress handles and stabilizers



J1me 1966 E. L. BRONSTIEN, SR 3,254,350

MATTRESS HANDLES AND STABILIZERS Filed 001?. 51, 1963 INVENTOR. Edwardllflr'onsfzanflr United States Patent 3 254,350 MATTRESS HANDLES ANDSTABILIZERS Edward L. Bronstien, Sr., St. Paul, Minn., assignor to TheUnited States Bedding Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation ofMinnesota Filed Oct. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 320,264 Claims. (Cl. 5-345) Thisinvention relates to mattress constructions and it is particularlydirected to constructions including unique handle and stabilizer means.

The use of stabilizers for mattress constructions is wellknown. Suchstabilizers usually comprise members formed of wire which are located inassociation with the side walls of mattresses. The stabilizers aredisposed so that they will tend to spread apart whereby a constantspacing between the top and bottom of the mattress at the side edges canbe achieved. The stabilizers thus assist the coil springs in the matressin preserving the mattress configuration. The stabilizers tend tomaintain the lateral edges in a proper spaced apart relationship whenthe mattress is in use so that an individual will not tend to roll outof the bed. This tendency as well as a loss of satisfactory apperancewill result where the side edges of a mattress become depressed.

It is also well-known that certain difiiculties arise in attempting totransport large mattresses from one location to another or in otherwisehandling mattresses. Mattress constructions are known to be heavyandquite awkward and it is difiicult to grip the constructions without theprovision of handles. In order to overcome these difficulties, handleshave been formed in the side walls of most mattresses. A

Handle means now employed are characterized by certain difficulties.Where the handles are tied to the side wall of a mattress, the fabriccomprising the cover is prone to tearing. In order to overcome thisdifiiculty, handles have been designed whereby they are tied directly tocoil springs within the mattress. In many cases, however, this did notprovide an adequate solution since the coil springs tended to bedisplaced, and since tearing of mattress fabrics could result. Inaddition to these dilficulties, problems have arisen with respect to theas sembly of mattress constructions since in many cases, handle designshave unduly complicated assembly operatrons.

It is one object of this invention to provide a stabilizer constructionfor mattresses which is highly suitable for maintaining the originalconfiguration desired of a mattress construction and which is also of arelatively simple structure.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a stabilizerconstruction which can be employed in combination with a mattresshandle.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a constructioncomprising a stabilizer and mattress handle assembly which is adapted tobe easily installed in a mattress, and which is durable in characterwhereby the deficiencies of prior structures can be overcome.

These and other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter andfor purposes of illustration but not of limitation, specific embodimentsof this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a mattres constructionutilizing the improvements of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevational view illustrating the handle andstabilizer improvements of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken about theline 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken about the line 4-4of FIGURE 3;

3,254,350 Fatented June 7, 1966 ice FIGURE 5 is a detail elevationalview taken about the line 5--5 of FIGURE 4; and,

FIGURE 6 is a schematic illustration of an alternative form for astabilizer.

The mattress construction of this invention may comprise a constructionof any conventional design such as the type employing a plurality ofcoil springs arranged in side-by-side relationship with the respectiveaxes thereof being vertically disposed. Conventional elements comprisingborder wires for defining the external configuration of the mattress andtie wires which interconnect the coil springs and which serve to connectthe outermost coils to the border wires can also be employed.

The conventional mattress constructions can be modified to include anassembly comprising a stabilizer and associated handle. The stabilizercomprises a wire member including horizontal upper and lower portionswhich are preferably tied to the border wires. Intermediate centralportions are preferably formed to define V-shaped members and thesemembers include resilient portions which urge the upper and lowerhorizontal portions away from each other. When the construction isassociated with a side wall of a mattress, the side wall is held in thedesired relationship by means of the resilient character of thestabilizer.

The handle means of this invention is preferably associated with thestabilizer by' securing the handle means through the use of the samefasteners'which hold the stabilizer in position along the side wall ofthe mattress. Specifically, the handle means may comprise openings'ateither end through which a fastener may extend. The inwardly extendingportions of the stabilizer preferably define spring turns which lendresilient character thereto. These spring turns define openings whichare employed for receiving the same fasteners employed for holding thehandle in place. This arrangement has the advantage of providing a meansfor securing the handle to other than the fabric of the side wall or thecoil springs as such.

- Thus, the stabilizer in addition to its above described function willact to resist any tendency toward tearing of the fabric when the handleis in use.

FIGURE 1 of the drawing illustrates a mattress construction 10 defininga top wall 12, side walls 14 and bottom wall 16. On the exterior surfaceof the covering for the side wall 14, there is provided a handle 17. Astabilizer 18 is disposed on the interior surface of the side wall.

FIGURE 2 provides the best illustration of a stabilizer configurationcharacterized by the features of this invention. This stabilizercomprises two sections 20 with each section comprising arms 22 and 24defining respective upper and lower horizontal port-ions. Intermediatethese arms, there is provided a central portion 26 comprising a V-shapedmember. The central portion defines spring turns 28 which provide thestabilizing features of the construction. Specifically, any tendency ofthe arms 22 and 24 to move toward each other will be resisted by thespring 28. Where such movement actually occurs, the spring 28 willprovide for restoration to the normal position. It has been found thatthe design of the stabilizer illustrated is 'highly suitable forachieving the intended results.

the stabilizers in the construction.

In the illustrated construction, the stabilizers are formed of twosections and each of these sections is held in place by means offastener 34 which extends through openings defined by the spring turnsof the stabilizers. Since the central portions of the stabilizers arefixed, downward pressure on the mattress can result in sliding movementof the arms 22 or 24 relative to the border wires 36. This slidingmovementresults as the stabilizers take up the applied force. It will beunderstood, however, that the stabilizers may be formed of a singlepiece wherein the upper and lower horizontal portions will comprise acontinuous wire. A stabilizer 31 taking this form is shown in FIGURE 6.In such case, the resilient character of the wire will provide fortaking up of the force applied.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the manner in which the handle 17 is applied in theconstruction. This handle comprises a central gripping section 36, andas suggested in FIGURE 3, the material of the handle is preferably of aflexible character whereby the handle will bend outwardly for grippingpurposes. Each end of the handle defines openings 38 through which thefastener 34 can extend; Grommets 40 provide an opening for the fastenerinto the interior of the construction. The openings defined by thespring turns of the stabilizer also receive the fastener and the wholeassembly can then be secured in place through the use of nuts 42.

The assembly of the handle and stabilizer is com sidered to be animportant contribution since the desirable characteristics of suchmembers are incorporated in this assembly. Furthermore, the relativelysimple design of these members and the ease with which they can beincluded in the construction is quite important from the practicalstandpoint. In many cases, however, it may be desirable to provide morestabilizers than handles. Accordingly, the stabilizers of this inventioncan be associated in the construction Without the provision of a handle.In such cases, fasteners of the type shown at 34 can be employed incombination with grommets without the intervention of the handle. Itwill be appreciated, however, that other fastening means could beutilized when employing structures embodying the features of thisinvention.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be madein the above described elements which provide the characteristics ofthis invention without departing from the spirit thereof particularly asdefined in the following claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. In a mattress construction wherein a plurality of coil springs arearranged in side-by-side relationship with their respective axesdisposed vertically and wherein a covering is provided for the top,bottom and side Walls of said construction, the improvement comprising acombination handle and stabilizer assembly for use in association withat least one side Wall of said construction, said stabilizer comprisinghorizontal upper and lower portions and inwardly extending sideportions, said side portions being connected to fasteners extendingoutwardly from the interior surface of said side wall, and wherein saidhandle is disposed on the exterior surface of said side wall and isconnected at its ends to said side wall by means of said fasteners, saidhandle comprising a flexible member havng bores in its ends forreceiving said fasteners, said fasteners comprising threaded memberswith the threaded ends extending into the interior of said construction,the inwardly extending side portions of said stabilizer definingopenings at their inner extremities dimensioned to receive said threadedends, and nut means threaded onto said threaded ends for holding saidside portions and said handle in place.

2. In a mattress construction wherein a plurality of coil springs arearranged in side-by-side relationship with their respective axesdisposed vertically, upper and lower border wires defining the externalconfiguration of said construction, tie wires interconnecting said coilsprings and connecting the outermost coil springs to said border wires,and wherein a covering is provided for the top, bottom and side walls ofsaid construction, the improvement comprising a combination handle andstabilizer assembly adapted to be associated with at least one side wallof said construction, said stabilizer comprising horizontal upper andlower portions with said portions being tied to corresponding borderwires, inwardly extending side portions for said stabilizers, said sideportions including resilient means adapted to normally hold saidhorizontal portions in spaced apart relationship, fasteners extendingoutwardly from the interior surface of said side wall, and a handledisposed on the exterior surface of said side wall, said side portionsof said stabilizer and said handle being secured in said construction bymeans of said fasteners, and wherein said side portions comprise memberswhich extend inwardly toward each other and which define spring turns attheir apices, and wherein said spring turns define openings forreceiving said fasteners.

3. A construction in accordance with claim 2 wherein said side portionscomprise V-shaped members.

4. A construction in accordance with claim 2 wherein said stabilizer isformed of one integral piece of wire.

5. A construction in accordance with claim 2 wherein said stabilizer isformed in two sections each comprising said inwardly extending sideportions and upper and lower arms forming said upper and lowerhorizontal portions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,322,995 6/1943Allen 5--345 2,662,235 12/1953 Ferguson 5345 2,993,215 7/1961 Rymland5-260 X FRANK B. SHERRY, Primazy Examiner.

A. M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MATTRESS CONSTRUCTION WHEREIN A PLURALITY OF COIL SPRINGS ARE ARRANGED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE AXES DISPOSED VERTICALLY AND WHEREIN A COVERING IS PROVIDED FOR THE TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS OF SAID CONSTRUCTION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A COMBINATION HANDLE AND STABILIZER ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN ASSOCIATION WITH AT LEAST ONE SIDE WALL OF SAID CONSTRUCTION, AND STABILIZER COMPRISING HORIZONTAL UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS AND INWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE PORTIONS, SAID SIDE PORTIONS BEING CONNECTED TO FASTENERS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID SIDE WALL, AND WHEREIN SAID HANDLE IS DISPOSED ON THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID SIDE WALL AND IS CONNECTED AT ITS ENDS TO SAID SIDE WALL BY MEANS OF FASTENERS, SAID HANDLE COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE MEMBER HAVING BORES IN ITS ENDS FOR RECEIVING SAID FASTENERS, SAID FASTENERS COMPRISING THREADED MEMBERS WITH THE THREADED ENDS EXTENDING INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID CONSTRUCTION, THE INWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID STABILIZER DEFINING OPENINGS AT THEIR INNER EXTREMITIES DIMENSIONED TO RECEIVE SAID THREADED ENDS, AND NUT MEANS THREADED ONTO SAID THREADED ENDS FOR HOLDING SAID SIDE PORTIONS AND SAID HANDLE IN PLACE. 